Naval Systems

Type 051C / Luzhou-class destroyer

Also known as
  • Type 051C destroyer
  • Luzhou class
  • Luzhou-class destroyer
  • Type 051C / Luzhou class

The Type 051C, also called the Luzhou class, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class built by Dalian Shipyard for long-range fleet area air defense. Open-source references describe it as a two-ship class based on the earlier Type 051B hull and fitted with Russian S-300FM surface-to-air missiles, Type 730 close-in weapons systems, and a steam-turbine propulsion plant.

Type 051C / Luzhou-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class, Naval Systems
Image source: CNS Shijiazhuang (DDG-116)
Class Snapshot

The Type 051C was the PLAN's specialized long-range area air-defense destroyer before later Chinese destroyer families took over that role. Open-source references consistently tie the class to the older Type 051B hull, Russian S-300FM missiles, a paired Type 730 CIWS fit, and a small production run of two ships.

FactSource-backed detail
Class roleAir-defense destroyer for fleet area defense.
Class sizeTwo ships completed: Shenyang and Shijiazhuang.
Design basisModified Type 051B hull with steam-turbine propulsion.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
China
Type
Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class
Service note
Built in the mid-2000s; two ships entered PLAN service from 2006
Designed
Early 2000s
Produced
2002-2007
Number built
2

Specifications

Displacement
About 6,600 tons standard; about 7,300 tons full load
Length
About 155 meters
Beam
17.2 meters
Draft
About 6 meters
Speed
About 30 knots
Armament
48-cell S-300FM vertical launch system, eight YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, one 100 mm gun, and two Type 730 CIWS mounts
Propulsion
Steam turbines and boilers; two shafts
Variants
  • Shenyang
  • Shijiazhuang
Timeline

Type 051C / Luzhou-class destroyer Key Events

  1. Class revealed in open source

    Open-source reporting described the Type 051C under construction at Dalian Shipyard in 2004.

    Sources: Type 51C Luzhou AAW DDG

  2. First ship enters service

    GlobalSecurity and other references place the first ship, Shenyang, in PLAN service in 2006.

    Sources: Type 51C Luzhou AAW DDG, Type 51C Luzhou / Luhai II AAW DDG - Design

  3. Second ship commissioned

    Shijiazhuang, the second and final Type 051C destroyer, entered service in January 2007.

    Sources: Guided-missile destroyer Shijiazhuang in combat training

Media

Type 051C / Luzhou-class destroyer Images

Type 051C / Luzhou-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: PLANS Shenyang (DDG-115) 20150825 2
Type 051C / Luzhou-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: USN Type 051C destroyer 116
Related Weapon Systems
Type 051B / Luhai-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 051B / Luhai-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer classThe Type 051B, also called the Luhai class, is a single-ship Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built around Shenzhen (DDG 167). Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company built the experimental, modular destroyer as a bridge toward later PLAN surface combatants, and Shenzhen is directly documented in China's 2009 Gulf of Aden counter-piracy escort mission.
Type 052D / Luyang III-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052D / Luyang III-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer classThe Type 052D, also called the Luyang III or Kunming class, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer family built for area air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and strike missions. The class pairs Type 346-series phased-array radar with a 64-cell vertical launch system, and later Type 052DL ships stretch the stern aviation area for a larger helicopter while production continues from Jiangnan and Dalian yards.
Type 052B / Luyang I-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052B / Luyang I-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer classThe Type 052B, also called the Luyang I-class or Guangzhou-class destroyer, is a two-ship People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built by Jiangnan Shipyard. Its combat system pairs Russian Shtil-1/SA-N-12 area air-defense launchers with YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, Type 730 close-in guns, torpedo tubes, and a helicopter hangar, and both ships later appeared in Chinese Gulf of Aden counter-piracy escort deployments.
Type 052C / Luyang II-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 052C / Luyang II-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy air-defense destroyer classThe Type 052C, also known as the Luyang II-class destroyer, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built around area air defense and long-range maritime presence. Public sources describe it as the PLAN's first class to combine a fixed AESA radar, vertically launched HHQ-9 missiles, YJ-62 anti-ship missiles, and a helicopter facility; direct conflict coverage now includes Gulf of Aden escort deployments, a 2018 South China Sea FONOP encounter, and August 2022 Taiwan Strait crisis exercises.
Type 055 / Renhai-class destroyer, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer or cruiser class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 055 / Renhai-class destroyerChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer or cruiser classThe Type 055, also called the Renhai class, is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer class built as a large multirole surface combatant for carrier escort, surface-action-group command, air defense, and missile strike missions. Public evidence ties the class to the 2022 Taiwan Strait crisis exercises and South China Sea disputed-feature patrols, while open naval references emphasize its 180-meter hull, 112-cell universal vertical launch system, Type 346B sensor fit, and cruiser-like magazine and command capacity.
Type 054 / Jiangkai I-class frigate, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile frigate class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 054 / Jiangkai I-class frigateChinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile frigate classThe Type 054 / Jiangkai I-class frigate is the two-ship first generation of China's Jiangkai guided-missile frigate family, built at Shanghai and Guangzhou for the People's Liberation Army Navy before production shifted to the more capable Type 054A. Public sources identify Ma'anshan and Wenzhou as 2005-commissioned ships with YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, HQ-7 point air defense, AK-630 close-in guns, light torpedo tubes, and helicopter facilities; both hulls are documented in Chinese counter-piracy escort deployments in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters.
Type 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigate, Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy multi-role frigate class, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsType 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigateChinese People's Liberation Army Navy multi-role frigate classThe Type 054A / Jiangkai II-class frigate is a Chinese multi-role guided-missile frigate class that developed the two-ship Type 054 design into a serial PLAN escort with medium-range vertical-launch air defense, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine weapons, and helicopter facilities. Later batches and export derivatives kept the same basic escort concept while changing sensors, close-in defenses, aviation support, and customer-specific weapons.
Project 956E / 956EM Sovremenny-class destroyer, Russian-built guided-missile destroyers exported to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 956E / 956EM Sovremenny-class destroyerRussian-built guided-missile destroyers exported to the Chinese People's Liberation Army NavyThe Project 956E and Project 956EM Sovremenny-class destroyers are four Russian-built guided-missile destroyers delivered to the People's Liberation Army Navy in two export batches. Hangzhou and Fuzhou were Project 956E ships centered on Moskit anti-ship missiles and Shtil air defense, while Taizhou and Ningbo were improved Project 956EM ships with revised combat systems, Kashtan close-in defenses, longer-range Moskit missiles, and one fewer 130 mm gun. Later Chinese refit reporting describes domestic sensors, vertical-launch HQ-16-family air defense, and YJ-12 anti-ship missiles replacing the original Russian systems on at least the first 956E pair.

Sources

Type 51C Luzhou AAW DDGPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the class designation, Dalian Shipyard production context, modified Type 051B hull description, S-300FM missile fit, Type 730 CIWS, YJ-83 missiles, steam-turbine propulsion, and broad class background. | Accessed: 2026-06-25Type 051C / Luzhou Class Guided Missile DestroyersPublisher: Naval Technology | Note: Supports the class role as an air-defence guided-missile destroyer built for the People's Liberation Army Navy. | Accessed: 2026-06-25Type 51C Luzhou / Luhai II AAW DDG - DesignPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the 2006 service entry context, the two-ship class size, and the design relationship to the older Type 051B hull. | Accessed: 2026-06-25Guided-missile destroyer Shijiazhuang in combat trainingPublisher: Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China | Note: Supports current image provenance for the Type 051C destroyer Shijiazhuang and confirms the ship's class identity in official imagery. | Accessed: 2026-06-25CNS Shijiazhuang (DDG-116)Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Type 051C destroyer photograph used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-25PLANS Shenyang (DDG-115) 20150825 2Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a second Type 051C destroyer photograph used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-25USN Type 051C destroyer 116Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a third Type 051C destroyer photograph used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-25